On Sunday, January 6, director John Sayles will receive the Festival’s American Maverick Award following the screening of his new feature Honeydripper, which he directed, wrote and edited. The American Maverick Award was established to honor filmmakers who exemplify the true spirit of successful independent American filmmaking, establishing a body of work that both eschews the conventions of standard storytelling and epitomize the best aspects of quality filmmaking.
Honeydripper is a fable about the birth of rock n’ roll in Harmony, Alabama. Set in 1950, the films tells the story of Tyron Purvis (Danny Glover), proprietor of the Honeydripper Lounge and Sonny Blake (Gary Clark, Jr.), a young drifter with big dreams and a guitar case in his hands. The film features an all-star cast including Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Stacey Keach, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Stacy Keach, Mary Steenburgen, Vondie Curtis Hall, Ruben Santiago Hudson, Sean Patrick Thomas, Kel Mitchell, Yaya DaCosta, R&B; legend Mable John, singer-songwriter Ke’b Mo’ and Austin guitar sensation Gary Clark, Jr.